ABC Toy Company Health Tip Sheets for Employees
[NOTE: delete or replace this placeholder logo and company name]
[NOTE: text that follows is a placeholder that
you will need to adapt or delete] This document
is part of a series of information resources to
help you get good quality health care. For
more resources, visit your employee website
employees.com/healthinfo/
How can you know which websites to trust?
[NOTE: if you want to include the sample photo shown below in your own materials, see the easy instructions and
rules that apply to photo use in the “How to use the materials” section of the Toolkit website.]
If you are looking for health information on the
internet, be very careful about which websites
you use.
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Some websites have reliable, accurate health
information for consumers that is backed up
by solid medical research. You can trust the
information you get from these websites and
it can be very helpful.
But other websites have health information
that is not trustworthy. Since the internet is
not regulated, no one checks to see whether
the health information on a website is
reliable or not.
To help you find trustworthy health information on websites, this document offers a list of
recommended websites. The websites on this list are sponsored by selected government
agencies, non-profit organizations, and leading medical centers.
[NOTE: you will need to adapt or delete the text that follows. The document it refers
to is available to you as part of the Toolkit.] The websites listed in this
document are good ones to use for health information, but there are
many other websites that also have reliable and accurate health
information. To help learn what to look for in a website, visit the
employee website (employees.com/healthinfo) for this document:
• “Finding health information on the internet: A checklist to help
you judge which websites to trust.”
A list of recommended websites that have trustworthy health information
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Websites on health and health care information
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The Federal Drug Administration’s Be Smart about Prescription Drug Advertising: A
Guide for Consumers
(http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/PrescriptionDrugAdvertising
/default.htm)
This website is run by the federal government’s Federal Drug Administration, which
approves and regulates medical products. This particular website is designed to educate
consumers about how to view health care advertising.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov)
This website is run by the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(often known as “the CDC”). It has an enormous amount of health care information and
practical health advice.
Health Finder (www.healthfinder.gov)
Health Finder is run by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is an on-line health library that looks at
treatments for hundreds of different health conditions.
Medline Plus (www.medlineplus.gov)
Medline Plus is a comprehensive source of health information designed to help answer
consumer health questions. It brings together up-to-date information from several
government agencies devoted to health care and health research.
National Institute on Aging (www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications)
This website offers numerous informative publications and consumer guides. Although the
information on this website is oriented toward older adults, it discusses health problems that
often start at much earlier ages.
Next Steps After Your Diagnosis: Finding Information and Support
(www.ahrq.gov/consumer/diaginfo.htm)
This guide provides general advice as well as tips and resources to help you learn more about
a specific health problem or condition. It was written by the federal Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality.
Taking Time: Support for People with Cancer
(www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/takingtime/)
Written for people with cancer and their families, this booklet discusses feelings and
concerns about the condition. The website is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.
Websites and tools for staying healthy
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Stay Healthy at Any Age, Your Checklist for Health (www.ahrq.gov/clinic/ppipix.htm)
or by calling 1-800-358-9295.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force uses evidence from research to set guidelines for
screening tests, preventive medicine, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. These guidelines tell
what you can do to help stay healthy.
A list of recommended websites that have trustworthy health information
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Portion Distortion Quiz (hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/)
This quiz is on the website of the federal government’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute. It shows how portion sizes of some common foods have grown larger over the
years.
Websites summarizing medical research studies
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Effective Health Care Program (www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov)
This website is sponsored by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The
Effective Health Care Program produces summaries for patients that tell about effective
treatments for selected health conditions. These summaries are based on expert reviews of
medical research.
Cochrane Collaboration (http://apps1.jhsph.edu/cochrane/ebhc.htm)
The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not-for-profit organization that reviews
medical research studies about health care treatments. This website has easy-to-understand
summaries of the findings of its reviews, which are available in the “Cochrane Library.”
National Guideline Clearinghouse (www.guideline.gov/)
This government website has technical medical information written for doctors and other
health care professionals, and also has links to resources that are written for patients. To find
this information, click on “Resources” and then click on “Patient Resources Links.”
Websites on choosing a doctor
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American Medical Association’s Doctor Finder (www.ama-assn.org)
This website can help you find information about licensed doctors in the United States. Click
on DoctorFinder under Featured Resources.
Administrators in Medicine’s DocFinder (www.docboard.org/)
This website can help you find information from state government licensing boards on the
licensing background and disciplinary information of doctors and other health care providers.
Websites on communicating with your doctor
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Questions Are the Answer (www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer)
This website has tips on how and why to ask questions of your doctor or other health care
provider. It includes a checklist of questions to ask in different situations. You can customize
and print your own list of questions to take with you to a medical visit. This website is run by
the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
A list of recommended websites that have trustworthy health information
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Websites on understanding health care quality
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Glossary of Health Care Terms
(www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/glossary-of-terms)
This web-based glossary defined important health care terms used by health care
professionals, such as adverse effect or diagnostic test.
Guide to Health Care Quality: How to Know It When You See It
(www.ahrq.gov/consumer/guidetoq/index.html#Contents)
This booklet by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has information and
resources to help people get quality health care.
Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care (www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qntool.htm)
This guide was developed by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to help
people make health care decisions using information about quality. The guide is based on
research about the information people want and need when choosing health plans, doctors,
treatments, hospitals, and long-term care.
Quality Tools (www.innovations.ahrq.gov/qualitytools)
Quality Tools is sponsored by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The
resources include tools addressing specific diseases and health conditions, recommendations
for choosing health care services, resources for better communication with health care
providers, and tools for staying healthy and getting safe care.
Websites on comparing health care quality
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These government websites can be used to compare the quality of care within a state, county,
city, or zip code. The purpose of these websites is to help people use information about
quality to make good decisions about their health care.
o For hospital care: www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
o For nursing home care: www.medicare.gov/NHCompare
o For home health care www.medicare.gov/HHCompare
o For kidney dialysis facilities: www.medicare.gov/dialysis
National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Report Cards
(www.ncqa.org/tabid/60/Default.aspx)
The National Committee for Quality Assurance provides quality report cards that include
comparisons of health plans, doctors, and more.
TalkingQuality’s Report Card Compendium
(www.talkingquality.gov/content/reportcard/search.aspx)
The government has produced a national directory of quality reports called the Report Card
Compendium. You can search this database which has more than 200 reports of comparative
information on the quality of health plans, hospitals, medical groups, individual physicians,
nursing homes, and other providers of health care.
A list of recommended websites that have trustworthy health information
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Websites on getting safe care
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The Joint Commission (www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/SpeakUp)
This website of the Joint Commission includes a series of patient safety brochures. Topics
include how to prevent mistakes in surgery, in medical tests, and in medications.
Having surgery? What you need to know
(www.ahrq.gov/consumer/surgery/surgery.htm)
This guide is for people who are having non-emergency surgery. The purpose is to help
people be better informed about issues they should consider and questions they should ask
before surgery.
American College of Surgeons (www.facs.org/public_info/ppserv.html)
This website offers patient information on topics that include choosing a surgeon, getting a
second opinion, questions to ask when you are having surgery, and information about a
number of operations. It includes a brochure that tells how doctors and patients can help
make sure that the correct operation is performed on the correct part of the patient’s body.
Your Medicine: Play it Safe (www.ahrq.gov/consumer/safemeds/safemeds.htm)
This guide provides information on how to take medicines safely. It answers questions about
getting and taking medicines and has forms to help people keep track of their medicines.
Educate before you medicate (www.talkaboutrx.org)
This website provides tips on how to prevent medication mistakes and is run by the National
Council on Patient Information and Education.
Being MedWise helps us use medications safely (www.bemedwise.org)
This website provides tips on how to prevent medication mistakes and is run by the National
Council on Patient Information and Education.
Websites on health and health care (non-government websites)
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AARP (www.aarp.org/health or www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/)
This website has health information from AARP experts and other sources and provides
information about medical conditions, tests, and treatments. One section of this website is
about prescription drugs and includes tips on using medications wisely.
Boston Children’s Hospital (www.childrenshospital.org)
This website has information about how to treat medical conditions that are common in
children. It covers how to talk to children about their illness, gives health tips from experts,
and tells what children might expect when they go to the hospital.
Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com)
This website by the Mayo Clinic offers an easy way to look up a disease or health condition
and then find out how the disease is treated and what to expect. This website has other health
information including a planner for healthy living.
A list of recommended websites that have trustworthy health information
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Medical Library Association’s A User’s Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health
Information on the Web (http://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html)
This guide helps people figure out whether a website has reliable information or not. It also
has the librarians’ “top ten” list of health information websites for consumers.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
(www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/Pages/home.aspx)
This website gives reader-friendly information on many health topics, medical conditions,
and medications and includes dozens of brochures to download and print.
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